Euphoria
by Hatsunation
Summary: As a string of murders begin to take place in London, Ciel is contacted by the Queen to take the case. However, if the culprits have already been identified then why is there still a mystery needing to be solved? Edit: I posted the wrong fic by mistake. Here is the proper posting.
1. Chapter 1

_I've been working on this story for over a year._

_The amount of effort pooled into planning this out is appalling but my writing itself could use some improvement._

_I suppose as the story goes that'll improve as my confidence in writing for these characters gets better but for now, here's chapter one of what will be a fairly long story._

* * *

'Young master, it's time to wake up.'

With a _fwish_ the curtains were flung open, the morning's gentle rays filling the previously dark bedroom. Ciel grimaced but sat up so he could eat breakfast. He yawned as Sebastian served a piping tea with an astringent aroma.

'Darjeeling oolong,' Ciel breathed as he took a sip of the tea.

'Correct as always,' Sebastian answered, 'For breakfast this morning, we have a warm pheasant pie with lemon poppy seed scones.'

Ciel disregarded the food and held his hand out to receive the days newspaper. He was puzzled to be holding an envelope instead.

'What is-' Ciel cut himself short upon flipping over the envelope to see the Queen's seal. Using the letter opener handed to him by Sebastian, he cut through the seal to read the letter.

_My dear boy,_

_How are you? I do hope you are enjoying this gay winter upon us. I would as well but there is something that fills my heart with sorrow. It appears so that a particular group of citizens are inflicting harm upon the people of London I believe it would be best if you looked upon the culprits with your own eyes, as I would be very grateful if you could look into the matter for me. _

Ciel was reading the letter for the second time as he entered his study as Sebastian dutifully followed after. He sat heavily in his chair, mugging a face of discontent.

'A particular group…' Ciel muttered, 'What could be so special about the culprits if she already knows who committed the crime? Does she want to know their motive?'

'Perhaps it would be best if you see for yourself as she suggested,' Sebastian commented.

'I suppose. Although I would rather not go to the city in winter. It's disgusting,' Ciel complained. Memories of gray slush and the bitter cold was enough of a reason to dissuade him of ever stepping foot outside during the winter months, much less the city. Still, if the Queen requested it of him then he would go to the ends of the earth if necessary. That didn't necessarily mean he wouldn't gripe about it for a good bit.

'Shall I prepare a carriage?' Sebastian inquired, interrupting his thoughts.

'Yes. All the required necessities,' Ciel answered. He looked out at the window at the falling white snow. Despite being cozily inside he couldn't help but sneeze. This escapade would a miserable one.

The trip to London was relatively slow. And cold. Snow covered the roads, making it a grueling task of navigating patches of ice or clearing the way to get by. Now on a rare stretch of clear road, Ciel felt he could finally relax a little from the constant jarring of the carriage wheels hobbling over half frozen drifts of snow. Breathing a small sigh of relief, the earl was then inconvenienced with a gargantuan jostle that sent him tumbling into the side of the carriage.

Muttering a curse, Ciel hissed through gritted teeth, 'What the hell was that?'

Sitting undisturbed without so much as a hair out of place, Sebastian answered, 'It seems the carriage ran over something.'

Ciel's eye deepened into a glare that rivaled Sebastian's look of amusement. He broke off the exchange, noticing that the carriage had stopped moving. Poised to make a remark on the matter, Sebastian merely offered, 'I shall investigate whatever it is that's impeding the driver.'

In a fluid motion the butler slid out the carriage. Noticing the driver absent from his seat, he turned to the rear the the carriage where they were standing with their head lowered, hand covering their mouth in shock.

Sebastian strolled over, acknowledging the driver with a nod of his head. The driver began to babble, 'I s-swear I d-didn't hit them. T-they were just there!'

He switched his gaze to whatever it was that held them captivated.

A body. A male human body.

It was obvious that their carriage hadn't been the source of his demise due to the state of decay he was currently in but one certainly was. Snapped bones protruded from his maggot ridden arms and legs. Blood from the impact was splattered across the snowy road, further smeared by carriage wheels that hadn't a moments pause.

There were two peculiarities about the scene. One was the lack of the smell of rot. Rather, the pleasant scent of nutmeg wafted from the corpse. Most disturbing of all was the obscene grin stretched across his deteriorating lips.

This was quite the mystery to be sure. However, it was also not a part of the young master's present business.

'Pay no mind to it then,' Sebastian replied, walking back to the carriage.

Now reseated, there was a moment's pause before the vehicle jostled back into motion. Ciel gave Sebastian an appraising look before finally asking, 'What was the issue?'

'There was a carcass,' Sebastian stated.

He furrowed his brow but resigned to looking out the window. 'Why does it smell of lavender?' Ciel wondered aloud absently.

His butler remained silent.

Ciel walked into the Scotland Yard, mildly noting the detectives bustling about the place. It seemed that with the holidays the time for joy and good cheer was accompanied closely with the need for crime. From the buzz of the crowd stepped forth a familiar and annoyingly friendly face that Ciel knew all too well.

'Ciel! What are you doing here?' Detective Aberline asked. He looked rather frazzled compared to his usual appearance but still held a cheerful look in his eyes.

The earl procured the envelope and flashed it's seal, 'Her majesty sent me to see the culprits of a crime. Would you know what criminals she's speaking of?'

Life seemed to have drained from him completely, 'Oh. I do. I'll take you right to them.'

Aberline motioned for the earl and his butler to follow him through the chaos. Ciel raised an eyebrow in puzzlement but fell in step behind the detective. After passing by several records rooms and offices, the hallway eventually gave way into interrogation rooms. Ciel kept his eye trained in front of him, not wanting to see whatever criminals lurked beyond the slotted doors.

The detective finally came to a stop in front of one of the rooms. He placed his hand on the handle, pausing to look warily at Ciel. Upon seeing his impatient glare Aberline opened the heavy door.

The boy stiffened, mute shock possessing his body.

The criminals sitting within the room were children.


	2. Chapter 2

_I was going to write more but my love of cliff-hangers pervades me. Anywho, I'm much more proud of my writing in this chapter :D_

_Thank for all those who reviewed, favourite, followed, and read this at all!_

* * *

Gauging Ciel's reaction, Aberline reached the conclusion that he not been informed of the sort of… wrongdoers the case involved. He could hardly believe it himself despite having caught one of the children red handed. Literally. To fathom that a child could do such a thing…

The detective found his eyes wandering over to the young earl who was now cooly analyzing the circumstance presented to him. The feeling sympathy welling in his chest was pierced like a surging wave by the bow of a ship, crashing just as quickly as it had arisen by Ciel's impatient glare.

'What crime are they guilty of?' Ciel asked, refocusing his gaze on the children oblivious to their presence.

'Murder.'

The look of consternation flashed briefly in his eyes that failed to affect the rest of his expression. He only gave a mute nod before strolling into the room with Sebastian and Aberline instep behind him, the click of his shoes reverberating through the eerily silent room. Despite being occupied by several persons, the atmosphere was no more lively than a funeral parlour.

Ciel seemed to be mildly perturbed by the continual lack of acknowledgement from the children who were deeply engrossed in their stuffed toys. After attempting to command their attention verbally, he settled for snapping his fingers in the face of a child holding a bear.

As though awakening from a slumber, the boy blinked his eyes heavily and appraised Ciel with mild interest. 'Hullo Mister Rabbit.'

Ciel raised an eyebrow critically and cocked his head to address the detective, 'What's wrong with him- _Them?_'

Aberline scratched his cheek tentatively, 'We haven't been able to figure that out… In truth, you've made more progress already then the Yard has.'

'Is that so?' Ciel commented in mockery of a sincere question.

He stepped forward to more critically study the children. They seemed be all equally out of… whatever it was that afflicted them so. The boy that addressed Ciel so oddly was still observingly him mutely. However the other four were preoccupied with their fluffy animal companions, nuzzling and whispering things to them as children would. It was only when his eye came to a rest on a girl holding a rabbit bearing an eyepatch much like his own that Ciel made the connection.

All the toys were Funtom toys .

Typically that fact wouldn't have affected him the slightest except for perhaps affirming his pride in his business. However they were murderers… Could it be that the toys were linked somehow? The possibility didn't sit well but at the same time Ciel wasn't entirely sure what exactly the crime dealt with. Perchance the toys would offer some insight into the matter.

Ciel approached the boy whose attention he had already caught and asked for pleasantry's sake, 'Could I see that bear for a moment?'

'The poppy cat smells like lemons.'

'...'

'...'

The earl tsked in annoyance. It was stupid to think that he may be able to actually hold a coherent conversation with someone who was clearly beyond that capacity. Disregarding the feeling of needed repartee, Ciel grabbed hold of the bear's arm.

And all hell broke loose.

The boy let out an unholy screech, startling Ciel. He fell backwards onto the floor, bear still in his grip. Like some possesed thing, the child lunged forward, murderous intent clearly etched into his features. Ciel raised an arm protectively but found the gesture unnecessary as Sebastian fluidly inserted him between the two, effectively become a sort of black wall. Aberline wrestled with the child who seemed to posses the strength that was beyond his stature.

'Are you alright?' Sebastian questioned.

Ciel swallowed hard, his pulse still drumming at an obscene pace, 'Y-yes.'

Sebastian smirked™ knowingly, but said nothing, efficiently grating Ciel's nerves. He opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by the detective's pleas.

'Could you offer a little help?' he asked. His voice was tight with strain as he struggled with the boy that kicked and clawed like a wild animal, still screaming like a banshee all the while. Aberline clamped a hand over their mouth, 'He's- ah! You bit me!'

Sebastian shook his head with dismay as he went to his aid. With the child now thoroughly restrained, Ciel picked himself from the floor and brushed the dust from his clothes. He eyed the stuffed bear, then the boy who was still attempting to fight the butler.

Aberline seemed to recognize the questioning look he possessed and answered, 'We found that the children become extremely violent when some officers tried to take away the toys… I think it may have been the reason why they er- dispatched their parents.'

Still rather annoyed that crucial bit of information had been given a little too late, Ciel was still satisfied to have the bear in his hands. Whatever the reason for their violence had to be in the plush plaything. However, he found himself at a loss of what exactly to be looking for. There was a sweet scent that emanated from the fabric that remained rather unplaceable. Raising the Funtom bear to his nose, Ciel-

'Young master.'

Ciel lowered his arms, 'What is it Sebastian?'

'Unless you intend to become as thoroughly drugged as those children I would highly suggest not sticking your nose into your own business,' he said slyly.

Ciel narrowed his eye in annoyance but heeded the warning. He thrusted the bear at the child who calmed just as quickly as he had been riled up. Aberline guided the boy back to ever oblivious others, enthralled in whatever substance held him so enchanted.

'We're done here,' the earl stated, stepping into the hallway once more.

'Wait!' Aberline hurried after Ciel, stopping him just in front of the room. 'I just wanted say that if you need assistance with the case...'

He entertained the notion, if only for entertainment than serious consideration. 'That won't be necessary,' Ciel said surely.

Aberline said something in response but Ciel's focus drifted to the door that was slowly drifting shut behind him. The opening became no more than a hair's width wide when a sweet floral fragrance filled his senses. Impulsively, he maneuvered around the ever naive detective and wretched the door open.

A bright and sunny room. No one thing was different, save the absence of the five children with only a whiff of lavender left in return.


	3. Chapter 3

_A short chapter but I wrote what need to be written. _

_Sorry for the absence but I'm not sorry. I have difficulty staying dedicated to tasks for long periods of time._

_Thanks for the reviews and continued dedication despite my own lacking!_

* * *

Ciel crossed and uncrossed his legs. He stirred and unstirred his tea. Sebastian watched his focused thought with interest in which Ciel, at long last, broke the pattern and took a bite out of his pastry

Currently the two were sitting in a cafe to rest and to figure out what pieces of the puzzle they had so far and where to find more. While it would have been easy to point fingers at drug lords trying to sell their product to children, the details of what clues had been collected thus far didn't allow for that sort of vague lead. The one detail Ciel was currently mulling over was the disappearance of the children that transpired a little over fifteen minutes ago..

'What would the third party's motive be for kidnapping the children?' he wondered aloud, 'The point of the drug trade is to create an addiction and profit, but why would a third party step in an kidnap them? Furthermore, how were they able to snatch them away so quickly?'

The boy stared at the butler as though expecting a direct answer. Sebastian merely offered, 'Perhaps the children were in possession of something the third party wanted. That brings to question what it is exactly they're after then.'

Ciel nodded, 'And who exactly they are. How many souls did you sense in the room during the time they were alone?'

'Six.'

'So only there was only one…' Ciel discarded the train of thought in favour of one that could progress, 'At the moment the only strong lead we have is the use of a drug that smells of lavender-'

'My apologies for interrupting,' Sebastian interjected, 'But I find its scent is closer to nutmeg.'

He turned up his eyebrows in question. 'Nutmeg?' Taking a thoughtful sip of tea, he exhaled and said, 'Whatever it smells like, this drug is the only lead so far. However I'm rather unfamiliar with the trade, therefore the only source of information would be...'

Sebastian stifled a laugh concerning Ciel's reluctance, knowing exactly what he had in mind. 'I'll call a carriage then.'

'Ah! It's nice to see you Ciel. What brings you here to the East End?'

The young earl cast a judging eye across the establishment, his line of sight partially obscured by the thick smoke wafting through the air. However the shapes of figures slumped against the walls like drunks was still distinguishable. Scantily clad women milled between the men, their giggles floating through the room like ghostly whispers. The smell was particularly floral but still made Ciel's skin crawl knowing it was opium.

He focused his gaze on Lau who had one hand rested on Ran-Mao's waist, the other holding a pipe of that disgusting Chinese tar. Taking in a shallow breath to prevent minimum inhaling of the drug, Ciel said sternly, 'I need information about a drug. I take you might know something about it.'

Lau gestured over to a sofa in the center of the room, indicating the matter may be rather lengthy so it would be best discussed while sitting down. 'Well, it depends,' he began. The Asian maneuvered Ciel past a man who stumbled past them, scratching his arms covered in 'ants'. He sat heavily on the couch, Ran-Mao taking a seat upon his lap. 'Which one are you asking about?'

'One that smells of lavender… and nutmeg,' Ciel clarified, casting a glance at Sebastian's tall figure.

'Hm?' he hummed, raising his eyebrows in question.

'So you know it,' the earl stated, recognizing the the knowing smile hidden in the curve of the man's lips.

The facade fell from Lau's face, 'A little. The drug calls to a man's soul, speaking his desire in a language of scent. It draws him to the edge of his sanity in a lustful wish for satisfaction before he finally plunges into a violent sea that drowns him. I wonder, what is it that the young earl sees when looking into the body of temptation?'

He narrowed his eye, disliking where the conversation was going. 'What is it called?'

'Hm? I don't know what you're talking about.'

'The drug you described, what is it called?' Ciel repeated, his already thin patience fraying to its last strands.

'I have no idea,' Lau grinned.

Ciel's shoulders sagged with frustration, not having realised that he was tense in the first place. A string of bitter retorts sat ready on the tip of his tongue but remained unspoken when Sebastian eloquently took control of the conversation.

'How about the drug the young master described?'

'Euphoria.'

The duo shared a glance with this revelation.

'What do you know about Euphoria?' Ciel inquired.

Lau leaned forward, taking the handing his pipe to Ran-Mao, 'That it has become popular recently. From what I've heard the smell varies from person to person and leaves the user feeling… euphoric. However it seems to trigger extreme violence.'

The boy's neutral expression betrayed a look of minor intrigue, 'Why so?'

'Not sure. It's probably just an addict thing,' he said easily.

Sensing that he had chased the lead to the fullest, Ciel stood from his seat and gave Lau a curt nod, 'Thank you for your time.'

'The pleasure was mine, earl.' Lau said.

Ciel turned to face the smoke screened exit to the establishment, wanting to be rid of the choking air as quickly as possible. He walked quickly-

'Although,' Lau called, stilling Ciel in his step, 'What sort of demon is a Phantomhive's temptation?'

A pause.

Keeping his back to Lau, the boy walked with a purposeful stride, his ever present shadow following dutifully behind like a predator stalking its prey.


End file.
